any crazy traffic stories?

i never thought traffic would be interesting. but last year, shit got interesting.

i live an hour away from coachella and traffic was so bad we ended up sitting in the car for nine hours. it was insane.

but as we were pulling into the venue (on that two lane road, where it dwindled down into one lane) a white van tried to cut us off as we were going .004 mph. we had had enough and we weren't going to let some asshole who wanted to cut corners in so we tried to squeeze him off. then the window rolled down. some guy with curly hair poked his head out of the window and politely asked if they could squeeze in because they had to be on stage in 30 minutes.

of course we let them through. the front passenger of my car was curious, so he poked his head out of the window and asked "what band are you in?"

"little dragon!"

oh. well then. thank you for asking, we will let you in, curly haired man. have a great show.

Re: any crazy traffic stories?

Re: any crazy traffic stories?

Originally Posted by Fourthisto

Do what?!?! Did you accidentally drive to LA and back?

Word, I was just thinking the same thing.
I live in LA and got down to Indio and into the festival within 2.5-3 hours on Friday, and then no more than 45 minutes of waiting on Sat and Sunday coming from Indian Wells. Granted, I busted 100+mph on the freeway Friday morning to get down there, but still....

Re: any crazy traffic stories?

"What band are you wi-"
"Imma let you finish...but I gotta be on stage before midnight"

Originally Posted by candi

nah, it's just the 10 freeway from where i'm standing. the traffic started getting bad about 40 miles from the venue, although we left around one pm (terrible, i know.)

Wow, that's way worse than I've ever run into. Then again, I avoid the highway like a plague. Maybe try going south past 10 on Gene Autry til you hit 111 east? I've done that many a year and it didn't take us more than 90 minutes from that area.

Re: any crazy traffic stories?

me and my buddies were shotgunning beers in the traffic. then after we were all done sappin on a beer in the car (driver sober) i go to get the beer out of the trunk and stupidly dont look behind me when i open the door....well right when i opened it i heard a screech and looked to my left and a motorcycle cop was right there yelling "WTF ARE U DOING???" and I just go "SORRY" and hop back in the car and he rides off. close one and glad i didnt accidentally injure anyone

Re: any crazy traffic stories?

Originally Posted by mikecc

me and my buddies were shotgunning beers in the traffic. then after we were all done sappin on a beer in the car (driver sober) i go to get the beer out of the trunk and stupidly dont look behind me when i open the door....well right when i opened it i heard a screech and looked to my left and a motorcycle cop was right there yelling "WTF ARE U DOING???" and I just go "SORRY" and hop back in the car and he rides off. close one and glad i didnt accidentally injure anyone

Re: any crazy traffic stories?

So check this out, me being me... I map a route around all the traffic and try to come around from the south side of the fields and hit one of the back lots, my genius was rewarded greatly, because I got in the middle of a funeral train, there is a funeral house not far from the fields on the south side, kept going on 52nd and BAM made in the shade.

Re: any crazy traffic stories?

a white van tried to cut us off as we were going .004 mph. we had had enough and we weren't going to let some asshole who wanted to cut corners in so we tried to squeeze him off.

i had a similar experience last year leaving on friday. i was stuck in the same goddamned lot for two hours without moving AT ALL. when we did move, it was like less than a car's length. all because ONE car needed a tow. so when people started trying to cut me in line, i was not having it. normally i'm all about taking turns, but after sitting there for hours, i wasn't about to let someone cut me when we're only moving half a car length at a time.

Originally Posted by malcolmjamalawesome

It's when we discuss Coachella that we are at our collective dipshittiest.

Re: any crazy traffic stories?

We cut the line every year by driving in the median, pulling up a few cars short of the intersection, then sliding open the van door and giving out as many open beers as there are in the car we are cutting in front of. It has worked the 6 times we have tried it. The reactions are priceless, "WTF, you are NOT going to cut in front of us... Oh, beer! Okay then, go ahead."

Re: any crazy traffic stories?

Ahh I miss my New York plates. Driving for the first couple of months in California was awesome. People would get pissed at my dick bag maneuvers, see the plates, forget that NY is a STATE and not just a CITY where nobody drives cars, become terrified and let me do my thing.

This came in handy in the Coachella lines when people were at a standstill like fucking cattle. Swooping around the lines--yes, i was one of THOSE, but cutting of 40 cars is exhilarating when you see they were all waiting for... a big gap in the line-- we made it in under 4 hours (I'm used to nine to eleven hour waits at other festivals so I was psyched)... the other car in my group didnt get in for about nine hours.

By the third day we had figured out all the back roads and it only took us a half hour with traffic TO the venue to get in. Thank god we're camping this year, that fuckery/traffic was NOT worth it. Check out a map of the area, keep a copy in the car, and pick a good navigator to sit up front.

Last edited by Rachelll0ve; 02-08-2011 at 01:13 PM.
Reason: to explain my cutting off

Re: any crazy traffic stories?

I was stuck in a parking lot for 5 hours trying to leave the festival last year on Friday. Police and security blocked the only exit out of the lot. I didn't get to my hotel room until 6am on Saturday. I think it was Lot 2, but I can't remember. Definitely camping this year.

When I held that gun in my hand, I felt a surge of power…like God must feel when he’s holding a gun.

Re: any crazy traffic stories?

Originally Posted by digitaldragon03

We cut the line every year by driving in the median, pulling up a few cars short of the intersection, then sliding open the van door and giving out as many open beers as there are in the car we are cutting in front of. It has worked the 6 times we have tried it. The reactions are priceless, "WTF, you are NOT going to cut in front of us... Oh, beer! Okay then, go ahead."

that is the most beautiful display of human awesome i have ever heard.

Re: any crazy traffic stories?

If we're lucky something will happen. Some adversity will happen and something unexpected will happen and you'll get tired and you'll get hungry, you'll have trouble going to the bathroom, and you'll lose your car keys, and all these wonderful things will add up to some powerful experience that 10 years from now we'll say "We lived, we lived." - Wayne Coyne on Coachella

Re: any crazy traffic stories?

Friday was horrible. Stuck in traffic for 4 hours... and on our way out of the fest. the Police officers weren't directing traffic and there was a SEA OF PEOPLE on the road.
Needless to say (if any of you were there) I was the douche honking my way out of the situation...

2007:2009:2010:2011:2012[1]

Originally Posted by Undies

I considered asking my doctor for advice, but when I asked him if he had ever been to Coachella, and his answer was "What's a Coachella?"; Everything else he said was meaningless to me after that point.